🧪eNumbers.orgSearch Additives

Data Sources & Editorial Method

eNumbers.org separates official regulatory facts from its own plain-language summaries. The source linked on an additive page should be used to verify current legal status, permitted uses and limits.

Source hierarchy

  1. LEVEL 1
    Current law and agency databases

    Authorisation, conditions of use, withdrawals and effective dates.

  2. LEVEL 2
    Agency scientific assessments

    Hazard, exposure and risk evaluations supporting regulatory decisions.

  3. LEVEL 3
    Peer-reviewed literature

    Used for context when a regulator discusses or cites the evidence.

  4. LEVEL 4
    eNumbers.org editorial context

    Plain-language summary and non-official 1–10 score.

Page-level source review

19 priority additive pages currently include a dated “Primary Sources” section with direct official references. We are adding this layer selectively and verifying links before publication. A generic source listed here is not presented as proof for every sentence on every additive page.

Primary reference systems

European Commission — EU Food Additives Database

EU authorisations and conditions of use. This is the primary reference for whether and how an additive appears on the EU positive list.

Open official source ↗
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

Scientific opinions, re-evaluations and exposure assessments used by EU risk managers. An EFSA assessment is not the same thing as a legal authorisation.

Open official source ↗
U.S. Food and Drug Administration — Food Additive Status List

U.S. regulatory references for food ingredients. Individual colour additives and later agency actions may have separate records.

Open official source ↗
WHO / FAO JECFA Database

International evaluations, specifications and acceptable daily intakes from the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives.

Open official source ↗
IARC Monographs

Hazard classifications for selected exposures. Hazard classification does not, by itself, quantify risk at normal dietary exposure.

Open official source ↗
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)

Australia and New Zealand food standards and permitted-use schedules.

Open official source ↗

Important distinctions

  • “Not authorised” is not automatically the same as “banned”.
  • A hazard classification does not state the risk from a particular dietary exposure.
  • An acceptable daily intake is a population-level regulatory reference, not an individual prescription.
  • The eNumbers.org score is editorial and is never an agency-issued rating.

Method and source links reviewed 8 August 2026. Regulatory positions can change. Read our About and scoring explanation.